♣ Last weekend, BBC News has reported that "radical Shia Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr has defied a call by the Iraqi government for his powerful Mehdi Army militia to lay down its weapons" (sic). While al-Sadr has since relented, I have a very simple question. Why is Moqtada al-Sadr still alive? We should have slaughtered him like the sub-human filth he is years ago. Moqtada al-Sadr is a terrorist, a mass murderer, and a war criminal. By failing to exterminate al-Sadr, President Bush is paving the road to another September 11 by making the United States look weak and inept.

♣ As some Democrats are calling on Hillary Clinton to leave the race for President, the New York Timesreports that Clinton "compared the situation to the 'big boys' trying to bully a woman." Does this woman seriously expect us to trust her to be strong against terrorism when she whines about being "bullied" in a primary contest? Given the Clinton campaign's harsh criticism of Barack Hussein Obama, could Clinton be any more hypocritical? This is reminiscent of her husband whining about Rush Limbaugh. If she is to be taken seriously as the leader of the free world, she needs to grow a much thicker skin.

♣ After reading this article in the IDS, I am a bit puzzled. Realistically, how can one enforce registration of e-mail addresses, when one can register a free account with Yahoo, Excite, Gmail, Hotmail, Lycos, AOL or dozens more providers for free and with no identity verification? How can anyone enforce whether someone has an instant messaging program on his computer, unless that computer is inspected daily? It would make much more sense to simply ban sex offenders from owning a computer at all, or to ban them from having Internet access at home or using it at the public library. This looks like more unenforceable feel-good legislation that might turn a few votes but does nothing for the state of Indiana.

♣ James Carville's bitter complaint that Governor Bill Richardson was "disloyal" to the Clintons - comparing Richardson to Judas Iscariot - by endorsing Barack Hussein Obama represents what is wrong with politics today. If Richardson truly believes that Obama is the better candidate for this country, then he owes it to Democrat Party primary voters to make that endorsement. That said, Carville is right to criticize "the hypersensitivity we're seeing this cycle", making the point that "campaigning prepares you for governing. It prepares you to get hit, stand strong and, if necessary, hit back." There is nothing wrong with negative campaigning, provided it is factual and truthful. Both parties have a responsibility to voters to explain why their candidate is the best choice and why the other candidate would be bad for the city/county/state/nation.

♣ There are few things more contemptible than watching a bunch of self-righteous members of Congress call businessmen to Washington so those members of Congress can puff up their chests about how unfair it is for that business to be making profits while others are hurting. Hey, Congress, if you're concerned about the price of fuel, why not eliminate the federal gas tax, which now sits at 18.4 cents per gallon? Do you need that $3.64 every time I fill up my tank? How about not taking 13% of my check before I even see it? If you're concerned about the little guy, stop confiscating so much money at the point of a gun.

♣ The Herald-Times editorial board makes an incorrect assumption with the claim that "people who can afford to own property will get a big break; those who canít afford to own property wonít get that relief." Will renters get tax relief directly? No, and you're not likely to see rents go down, even with lower property taxes. But renters do pay property taxes, indirectly, as landlords pass property taxes on as a cost of doing business.

♣ It is a common complaint of a few outspoken "moderate" Republicans (who naturally hide behind pseudonyms like cowards) that I damage the local Republican Party with my letters to the editor and calls to the local radio station. I hate to disappoint these folks, but I am not nearly important enough to shift the outcome of an election. While some who closely follow local news might recognize my name, if you were to take a poll of registered voters in Bloomington, the number of people who know who I am would most likely be no higher than 5%, and that is probably high. Whatever my inflated ego might want to believe, I'm really not that important.